Expelled Afghans from Iran Say They Were 'Tortured' by Islamic Republic Officials

According to AFP, Afghan migrants and refugees expelled from Iran and entering Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat claim they were 'tortured and harassed' by Islamic Republic officials. Approximately 3,000 Afghans, some of whom were born in Iran, are forcibly returned to Afghanistan daily. Abdul Ghani Qazizadeh, the official responsible for registering the deportees in Islam Qala, told AFP that these Afghans faced numerous 'physical and psychological' tortures during their expulsion from Iran. He added that the expulsion of Afghans from Iran has increased in recent months. Qazizadeh stated that these migrants and refugees were warned in Iran to either leave within a week or have a bank deposit of $2,375 for each adult over 18 years old. The deportees are registered by the 'International Organization for Migration' and each family receives $29 per person, but individuals entering Afghanistan alone without family members do not receive this small amount. Ramadan Azizi, 36, entered Iran in 2023 with his wife and three children by paying $1,220 to a smuggler but faced severe violence against Afghan migrants. Iranian officials, whose policies have caused economic pressures on the people, accuse Afghan migrants and refugees of increasing unemployment, inflation, and crime in the country. Azizi, who worked as a construction worker in Iran, told AFP that his Iranian landlord was fined for renting to an Afghan and evicted him. Azizi said that then officials took them to a military camp for deportation, where he and his family, along with 2,000 to 3,000 other Afghans, were held for six days 'without food and water.' Fazeleh Ghaderi, 26, tearfully recounted her and her husband's experience in the Karaj camp on the outskirts of Tehran. She said guards beat Afghans with metal batons and did not differentiate between men and women. She claimed her husband's hand was broken due to the beatings. Ghaderi also said she witnessed the death of an Afghan migrant. She told the guards, 'Either kill us or send us back to Afghanistan.' Abdul Basir, 29, who worked as a day laborer in Iran, was arrested and expelled despite having a valid passport and visa. Basir, who was held for 'ten days in a military camp,' questioned which government would treat individuals with valid passports and visas this way. He said he was taken to the camp in a bus with his hands and feet bound, along with 70 to 80 others, and was beaten so severely that he could no longer move. Basir also stated that some Afghan migrants had broken limbs due to torture and even lost consciousness. He added that in addition to these tortures, there was also hunger and thirst. He mentioned that elderly people, women, and children were present in the camp, and some individuals were taken from the camp and 'disappeared.' Basir claimed that Iranian government agents tore up the passports and residency documents of migrants, and he was returned to Afghanistan without a passport. Basir said he had paid $350 to escape unemployment to go to Iran and now has no money even for the fare to return to his hometown. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government, has urged Tehran to treat Afghan refugees, whom he claims have contributed to Iran's development, with patience. Masoud Pezeshkian, the Islamic Republic's president, stated in his first press conference that Tehran is returning all undocumented migrants 'with respect' to their countries. Iran hosts four and a half million Afghan migrants and refugees who have fled decades of war and unemployment. Ibrahim Rezaei, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, announced on September 14 that the Islamic Republic police intends to expel more than two million 'illegal citizens' in the near future. According to government media reports, Afghan refugees make up 90% of all foreign citizens in Iran, and most entered Iran without identification documents. Additionally, more than 700,000 Afghan refugees who lived in Pakistan have entered Iran following Islamabad's decision to expel undocumented migrants. On the other hand, restrictions against Afghan refugees in Iran have increased. Images shared on social media show bakeries posting signs preventing the sale of bread to Afghans, warning of fines and legal action for violations. Fazeleh Ghaderi stated that she had been unable to buy bread for two months. In recent months, one of the notable issues has been social media users pointing to the 'very large number' of foreign migrants, most of whom are claimed to be from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some social media users say that 'the presence of these migrants is noticeably seen in the metro, bakery queues, and even in the streets and parks of large cities.' Meanwhile, speculation about the 'Islamic Republic's plan' to attract migrants and 'use their votes in elections' has sparked concerns about fueling 'racist' or 'anti-migrant' sentiments, leading to extensive discussions in the virtual space.